Time of Shambles
by VJulesv
Summary: Post Mai-Hime- A zombie apocalypse occurs sometime after the Carnival ends. Shizuru and Natsuki attempt to make sense of this changed world that engulfs them and their friends. Love, friendship and a bucketful of guts better be enough to see them through.
1. One Monday Morning

Post Mai-Hime- After the events in Mai Hime, our crew faces another world-shaking disaster. Will all of them survive intact?

Note: If you've read the Walking Dead or Highschool of the Dead, this zombie-theme may be familiar to you. But it apart from the first day of events, the rest of the story will progress differently. Hope you enjoy reading!

Mai Hime belongs to Sunrise. So I've been thinking... what if they were in a world facing a zombie epidemic?

* * *

A hot Monday morning found Natsuki Kuga on Fuuka Academy (Building B)'s rooftop. It wasn't break time, but Natsuki didn't want to be at a physics lecture so she'd snuck up to the rooftop to while away the time. Being on the rooftop rather than the cafeteria reduced the risk of one getting caught skipping class, after all. She was skilled in the art of not-getting-caught. Half the fun of breaking school rules was mastering the art of not-getting-caught.

All was well and it appeared to be a normal, Monday morning- lazy and dull, when suddenly a loud, anguished yell was heard. Natsuki scrambled to her feet and glanced in the direction of the scream. She saw a man rattling the school gates- he must be pretty strong, because those gates were made of heavy steel, and yet he was giving them a good shake. "Something interesting," the thought flickered through her mind as she leaned forward against the rooftop's fencing.

Two teachers had heard the yell and approached the man warily. They appeared to be Moustache-sensei and Badly-Tweezed-Eyebrow-sensei. Natsuki shook her head as she watched them approach the man. "This seems like a typical start to a B-grade zombie movie. Yeah, sure, approach as dangerous looking man like he's just another visitor to the school." Arms crossed, she watched avidly as the two teachers attempted to converse with the man, when suddenly, the stranger lunged forward and caught Moustache-sensei's gesturing arm in his jaws.

"What the hell!" Was the only thought in Natsuki Kuga's mind. "Did Nao spike my breakfast with some hallucinogens this morning?" Was the next thought.

Moustache-sensei's pained cry carried on the soft wind blowing towards Fuuka Academy's main buildings. Natsuki heard chairs being pushed back as students moved to check out the commotion. She continued looking towards the gates, wondering what was the best way to proceed. The muscular gym teacher was grasping his heavily bleeding forearm, and his body was undergoing painful-looking spasms as he crouched on the ground.

Before turning and leaping on Badly-Tweezed-Eyebrow-sensei's neck.

"Whoa. Repressed, much? I didn't know he had the hots for Badly-Tweezed!" Muttered Natsuki. Clearly, the situation was still very surreal to our green-eyed protagonist.

And then Badly-Tweezed-sensei, who didn't even make a sound as she was bitten, twisted around, her head hanging at an odd angle before she started shuffling towards Fuuka Academy's main buildings. Squinting her eyes, Natsuki realised that something was really, really wrong about what just happened. People do not come yelling at school gates, biting teachers. Teachers do not respond by biting other teachers, to what appeared to be fatal bites. People who received fatal bites, bleeding their bodies out are not capable of walking.

Natsuki Kuga's brain caught up with the sensory inputs she was receiving. Biting her lips, she took one last glance at the bloodied spot in the front gate- the still yelling stranger, the bloodied, shuffling gym teachers- and she ran for the stairs leading down from the rooftop.

There was one person in her mind, as she ran. One person who could help her make sense of what just happened.

And she knew just where to find her. Her heart pounding, she leapt down the last few steps of the staircase and ran full speed towards the Student Council Room. Without waiting, as she normally did, listening to see if any other person was inside, she flung the doors wide open.

"Shizuru!" She gasped.

"Natsuki? What is the matter? You normally do not appear until past noon, did you miss seeing me since we parted-" Crimson eyes met her fevered gaze, accompanied by a teasing smile.

"Shizuru! Now's not the time for- argh! Look, didn't you hear the commotion near the gates?" Natsuki walked hurriedly towards the Kaichou, who was seated calmly by her desk.

"I did. I was merely waiting for Natsuki to show up, so that we can-"

"You did? I mean- you were waiting? How did you know I would-"

Shizuru frowned. "Wouldn't here be the first place Natsuki would come to look for me? I'm not wrong in assuming so, am I?" In her heart, Shizuru was relieved that Natsuki had come to look for her. She wouldn't have made plans without Natsuki. Protecting her best friend was her top priority. As soon as she'd saw the bloody event from her classroom she'd left and walked quickly to the Student Council Room, nodding to Reito to gather the rest of the Student Council. Natsuki always came first, always.

Natsuki shook her head, and grinned. "Well, I thought Nao had put something into my breakfast this morning. But then, you saw it too?"

Shizuru was about to answer when both of their ears caught the screams and cries of fear echoing down the corridor. A swift pounding of footsteps, coming closer to them made Shizuru reach out for the nearest object- which happened to be a stapler.

Natsuki's eyes widened as she saw Shizuru's action. "Seriously, Shizuru? A stapler?"

"Ara, Natsuki-"

The door flung open forcibly for the second time that morning.

"Natsuki! Shizuru-san! Thank Kami you both are here! We've got to run! Or something. Students are screaming about zombies- and that the juniors in block A are covered in blood, some are wounded.."

At the door stood Mai, panting.

"Oh, bloody hell. What a morning this is turning to be." Natsuki closed her eyes for a second before opening them again.

"Right, Mai. We've got to get Nao- then make our way somewhere. I'll give a friend of mine a call. He might know what's going on."

"Forget it, Natsuki. Phone reception's down. Don't you think we would have tried calling out? No one's answering from outside the school. Emergency call lines are busy- there's something really bad that's going on. We've got to- find a safe place before we get caught in this mess."

"If I may, Mai-san. Let's arm ourselves-" Shizuru began calmly while carrying out a box of sports equipment. "And make for the rooftop. We'll be able to have a good bird-eye-view of what's going on and make our move then."

She was going to wait for Reito, Haruka and Yukino to appear, but they hadn't. And time was always a precious thing when it came to disasters. Wasting anymore would endanger them- Natsuki- her heart clenched at the thought of Natsuki being hurt… it was time to go. The brunette hastily scribbled a message to the student council members before turning to Natsuki and Mai.

"Let's go." Armed now with a baseball bat, a tennis racquet and a golf club respectively, the three students opened the student council door and made a run for the rooftop's staircase.


	2. Hitting the Wall

A/N: Changed the setting a little- not AU Mai Hime, decided that they would have gone through the Carnival. What else.. thanks for those who kindly reviewed the first chapter.

* * *

They'd made it to the roof. A sheer miracle. They'd not needed the 'athletic' weapons after all.

No students in sight, only the sound of panicked screams and pounding of feet from the floors before. From the sounds of the school's alarm bells it was because the administration had begun its emergency evacuation procedure. Natsuki looked down at the mass of congregating students below in the green field. "Brillant. Everybody's down below in the sports field and here we are on the rooftop. Hey, Shizuru, should we head down?"

"Natsuki's suddenly a model student who follows our teacher's instructions to the letter?" Shizuru peered at Natsuki, looking at the younger girl as though she'd grown another head. "No, I think it's best if we stay up here and survey the situation. Here, come help me bar the rooftop's door, Mai-san, Natsuki."

"Won't they be looking for you, Shizuru? You're the student council president." Retorted Natsuki.

Shizuru kept silent. Mai took in a deep breath and moved to help Shizuru. Old desks, long abandoned on the rooftop were lifted and shifted, interlocking one another against the door. Natsuki grew irritated at the calmness of Shizuru and the silence around her. "Hey, Shizuru?"

The brunette, panting slightly from moving three desks at once snapped. "What is it, Natsuki! No, I do not wish to be down in the field! Yes, I should be there! But you know who will always come first. If the events of the Hime Battle did not make it clear enough to you… I abandoned my post to be with you the last time. This is no different. Do you not wish me to be with you?" Shizuru made to turn around from securing the tables (they looked secure enough now) to face Natsuki, before she felt warm arms around her, holding her closely. "Shizuru, I'm sorry. It's not like I'm unhappy you're here with me. But the students of this school need you too. I just don't want to cause you to make selfish decisions-"

"So what I am doing is selfish, is that so? Well, it is. But I will not apologize for it." Red eyes bore into green, daring Natsuki to make a reply.

The standstill was broken by Mai's whisper. "Guys, now's really not the time for this. Something's happening in the field- look."

The trio crouched low against the concrete wall and peered down at the field below through the little patterned holes. Something was happening all right. The once neat rows of students and teachers had broken into disarray. The yelling and ear-piercing screams had begun once more. The field was rapidly being covered in blood as students attempted to flee the attacks of the living dead.

"Bloody hell. Bloody hell. Shizuru, Mai? What do we do? If only Duran was still around, then I could just call him. Or my Element. What wouldn't I give for my Elements to return. Bloody hell."

Natsuki stopped mid-murmur to exclaim- "Hey, that's Tate and Reito! Haruka-san and Yukino are right behind them."

True enough, the noticeable figures of the Student Council were running full speed towards the building next to the one they were in. Students were following them, but the zombies (what else could they be?) were following right behind, grabbing the slower runners and frightening many into a standstill with their low, gurgling moans.

"Stupid. Run, id-!" Mai's hands clamped over Natsuki's mouth. "Shut up, Natsuki!"

"I agree with Mai-san. That would be best." Shizuru eyed Mai's fingers over her friends mouth. "But I hope Mai-san's hands are clean, because I wouldn't feel like kissing germy lips…" slipped out next. Natsuki's eyes lit up in outrage and opened her mouth, before feeling Mai's fingers tightening.

"Right. Okay, sorry. They probably react to sound, huh? Or both sound and sight? Smell? They seem to be able to follow the students very well."

"Precisely. We'll have to keep low until we figure out what to do next. And to do that we need to know what exactly we're dealing with." Shizuru chewed on her lower lip. "Mai-san, have you been keeping up with your physical training?"

"No. Not since the Carnival. Everything was so peaceful, I thought the horrors were behind us. But I reckon I'll be able to hold my own if I have a proper weapon. A tennis racket isn't exactly the best tool to defend myself. My big flaming creature would have been great."

"Thinking about our Childs or our Elements makes it even more depressing, doesn't it? Oh!"

Mai looked up at Shizuru's exclamation and turned to see what the brunette had seen.

It was Mikoto and Nao, sprinting from the grounds of the Middle School towards their building.

"What are they doing? This place isn't any safer!" Mai stood up quickly, in alarm, forgetting the 'hide-and-be-quiet- rule. Mikoto, with an uncanny sense for Mai's presence noticed Mai, and tugged at Nao, pointing and grinning.

Their object of focus leaned down and frowned, before stifling a gasp.

"There's a whole bloody lot of zombies behind them! But they're only at shuffling speed, so… my God… please, let Mikoto get here in time."

"…and Nao, too, Mai. That girl may be a pain, but I wouldn't wish her harm. How are we going to help them get here? Do you think they still have the skill and strength to jump?"

Shizuru stood up beside Mai, contemplating. "They should. Mikoto's trained long and hard before coming here and Nao's never stopped her late-night activities. We just need to help them- jumping four stories is still something difficult, even for them."

Both turned around as they heard a table move. The slightest sound near them made their hearts beat quicker. Both calmed down once they saw it was just Natsuki taking one of the tables out of the barricade they'd made.

"Drop this down to them as a sort of anchor- we'll tie the firehose to a table and they can climb up. They've done it before, so it should be no problem." Natsuki was already unravelling the fire hose and tying it to a desk. Shizuru hurriedly ran to help here.

"Ara, they've done it before?" An eyebrow lifted, curiously.

"A long story, Shizuru. Okay, now pull!" The two middle-schoolers had reached the fire hose and were now climbing up successfully. But the zombies were fast gaining ground now that they were both climbing vertical.

"Quicker, Mai! Okay, one strong tug!"

With a heave, Mikoto and Nao were tossed, together with the fire hose and table onto the rooftop. The two athletic girls managed to loosen their grip and grab the table in time before it impacted the concrete floor. Rolling to their sides, they took a second to catch their breaths, before Nao panted out, "Thanks guys." She rolled to her back, catching her breath. Sweat ran down her face. "I've never ran so fast in my life. Not even in the Carnival. There's not fighting these monsters. Well, not with what I could find. Damned school."

Meanwhile, Mikoto had jumped onto Mai, hugging her tightly. "I was afraid I wouldn't see Mai. Or Mai turning into one of those monsters. Mai, I need my sword. Mai?"

"We will get you a sword. I don't know if we can get your sword, if we can even get back home, but we'll try, okay?" Soothed Mai as she patted Mikoto's head. "I'm glad you got here safely."

"I ran as fast as I could, Mai. The zombies were so many, and so hungry. Hey if we feed them Mai's ramen will they stop biting others?"

"I don't think that'll work, Mikoto."

"Oh." Mikoto's head dropped in disappointment. "I wonder if Ani-ue is safe."

"We saw him and the rest of the Student Council run into the building next to us. With the rest of the student body." Natsuki informed Mikoto. "But no one's appeared on the rooftop of that building."

Nao finally managed to sit up, looking around her. "Nice place you've got here, Kuga. Before we die of dehydration, of course."

"Ara, Nao-san, do you have any ideas of where to go, maybe?"

Nao shut her mouth after that.

Before opening them again, her eyes brighter than before. "Supplies- medicine, weapons, food and water. Nothing our schools don't already have, other than weapons. We'll get as much as we can carry and head towards.. the police station, maybe? There'll be weapons there."

"Did you fail to see the horde of zombies on the ground below us, Nao? You blind?" That was Natsuki as she smirked at the red head.

"We can't stay up here forever." Chipped in Mai.

"We could wait til- tomorrow morning. See whether the zombies leave the school. We've just got to stay low and undetected. Then make a run for it, but not the police station. Gods, Nao, I expected more from you."

"Why not, Mutt? Crap, I'm thirsty." At Natsuki's glare, Nao hurriedly corrected herself. "-Hem. Why not, Natsuki?"

"Because-" Natsuki was interrupted by a tinkling of a coin on the floor, right in front of her. "What?"

The group of five girls stood up slowly, peering around, before realising that there were now people on the rooftop next to theirs. The students had also barricaded the door, like what they did.

Everyone was relieved to see the people across from them on the other building. Old friends who'd fought together and against each other during the Carnival. Well, such horrors bring people together, a shared understanding of the pain and the tear-filled things they'd gone through. The pain of losing themselves to their darker sides, the anger at losing their loved ones, the sharp pang of regret at innocence lost- they wanted to put it all behind them. But now, seeing the strange horror down at the grounds below, they realised that the bloodshed was beginning once more. This time, they had a chance, simply put, to not 'f- it up'. A chance to redeem their dreams from shame and regret. To not succumb to fear and loss, to help each other through instead of hurting one another in hope of surviving. In was, in a sad, confounding way, a second test.

Mai was the first to speak. "Reito-san!"

"Mai-san. I'm glad to see you." They spoke softly, just loud enough to hear each other. "The Carnival did train our bodies to react better to danger and stress, don't you think? Here we are, alive."

"There might be students barricaded in the classrooms. We saw some looking out as we ran past. None made a move to indicate that they would let us in. We ran on and on, through the corridors until the only place left unbarricaded and empty of zombies was the roof." Yukino looked close to tears, barely keeping it together. Haruka stood beside her, face red and fuming silently.

"No one! They stood and watched from inside as their classmates fell pray to those living monsters! One by one, they got tired out or too scared to continue running, or-" Haruka shook her head tiredly.

"Fell PREY, Haruka-chan." Yukino mustered up a smile as she corrected her best friend. "Yes, Yukino. Fell prey."

Tate, who was standing next to the barricade door, as a guard jerked forward as he heard a loud bang against the metal. All of them over at the next building stiffened, eyes widening, jaws clenching.

More bangs against the door. "Clank! Bang! Mrrrrrrrrr-rrrr…" Unholy moans mixed in with the increasingly loud sounds of the things attacking the door with brute force.

"Shit. Those tables are not going to last for long, guys!" Tate ran towards the edge of the building. "Mai! Do something! Please!"

Mai stood, looking towards the boy- the man she loved. Still loved. Well, she didn't quite know, she never quite took the time after the Carnival to talk to him about it. And he didn't bring the past up, and part of her was relieved about it.

"Mai!" Mai snapped out of her thoughts. What could they do?

"Here. The fire hose. We'll throw it across, with the table to anchor it to the other side. Someone will have to hold the table down while the rest crawl along the hose across to here." Without waiting for the others to agree, Nao threw the table across, and Reito promptly caught it.

Natsuki and Shizuru glanced at one another before moving to help Nao hold on to the hose as Yukino started making her way across. The small, petite girl was quite nimble, but they wondered if Haruka, the clumsier of the two would be able to cross successfully.

But she did, grunting in great effort as she kept her eyes on Yukino, hands moving in tandem, one grip after another.

Finally, both girls made it across. The group on the safer building now looked across at the two men. The banging on the door was getting stronger, the tables were starting to give way.

Evidently someone had to stay behind to hold on to the table as the other made it across.

"Sempai. You go. I'll be the last one across."

Reito made a move to object but Tate's eyes stopped him. "Sempai, take care of Mai if I don't make it across."

The taller man nodded, and after a brief hug- now wasn't the time for emotional displays- he quickly crawled across along the hose. And just in time too, as the barricade of tables finally broke and the zombies pushed through. Moans and low gurgling sounds increased in volume as they detected fresh prey near them.

"Tate! Grab onto the hose! Swing across!" At Mai's loud shout, Tate look up, and comprehended- he still had a chance. He reached out to the hose, holding on to it tight. Meters up from the ground. He gulped, and turned his head around. He stared at the swelling numbers of zombies moving towards him, and the fear paralysed him.

"Move, Tate! If the table gives way we can still pull you to safety! Just move!" Frantic cries from Mai shook him from the fear that gripped him. He started moving.

But that brief moment of paralysis had cost him precious time. The zombies had reached the edge of the building, pushing against the wall, trying to reach him. Their undead minds could not analysed the situation, except that there was fresh meat, and it was mere meters away.

Tate smelt the blood and the nauseating smell of their guts, carried on the wind. He closed his eyes, drawing strength from Mai's voice urging him forward.

Some zombies clambered onto the table on the now abandoned building. The weight of the bodies shook the table and the wooden object cracked under the strain. The hose slipped from the building, and suddenly, Tate was swinging wildly towards the wall. Mai's frightened scream made him forget his fear for a moment and he looked up, before he smashed into the wall.

It happened so quickly. Tate was supposed to know how to protect himself against smashing into a wall. He had trained in martial arts as a boy. But the swing was too powerful, the weight of his body provided too much momentum- the wall too near.. a myriad of reasons.

Mai thought it was her fault for a long time to come. That she didn't warn him in time, didn't do enough to save him. That her scream distracted him. It wasn't. Tate didn't have a chance- he himself was slow-moving, brain clouded by fear long before he had hit the wall.

And now there was Tate's body on the ground, four storeys below, head snapped at an odd angle towards his body, eyes wide open in surprise. Mai in Natsuki's arms as she attempted to stifle her sobs, aware of the zombies across in the next building, crowding against the edge.

The survivors slowly moved from the side of the building towards the opposite end. Silence was thick, a heavy blanket, broken only by the occasional sob by Mai.

It was real. It truly hit them then. It was real, and they could die. And unlike the Carnival, there wasn't going to be a resurrection loophole someone could manipulate.

Tate was gone.

Reito was the first one to speak, after that. "We have to make plans. They might have smelt us. Sooner or later, they will come into this building, looking for fresh prey. We have to-"

Mai looked at him blearily. Was he happy now that his love rival was gone? Reito caught her glance, and looked away, swallowing. "He was my kouhai. My junior. We will mourn him, but for now, we have to make plans."

The rest kept silent, and Reito, taking that as a sign to continue, did. "They can easily break through the barricade, we've seen that. I suggest we start moving- how many of us have our vehicles in school? We'll pile in, and make a dash for it. The gate's been unlocked at the evacuation- we just need to get to our cars- or bikes," he looked at Natsuki, who nodded.

"And where do we go, from there? Where's safe? Look, we can see some parts of the city from here. There's smoke rising from a few places. One from where the shopping mall is. This is a short building, so we can't see far. But enough to know that outside's full of chaos." That was Nao. The rest nodded, acknowledging the validity of her doubts.

Haruka chipped in. "The dorms are overrun with zombies. We can't go there."

Shizuru thought for a moment before smiling and saying, "How about Midori-sensei's place? It's near the bottom of the hill, near the freeway. Thirty minutes, tops, from here, if we drive fast."

Not making a sound, the group moved towards the door and started removing the tables. Picking up their 'weapons', Mai, Natsuki and Shizuru headed down first, slowly. The rest followed silently.

The halls were empty. They took in a deep breath collectively, before breaking into a run.

Out the back door, towards the carpark.

But what they saw stopped all of them in their tracks. Zombies moving about- not many, but enough to make them reconsider their plans. Motioning to all of them to be silent, Reito crept forward. He was now 'armed' with a baseball bat he found near the lockers. The rest moved, huddled together, not daring to breath.

The zombies had not reacted to their presence. They were still moving about, in that slow, uncoordinated motion of theirs around the cars. A quick movement near a bright blue car caught their eye.

A bush of reddish brown hair. The one and only Midori-sensei. She gestured to them. The zombies did not react to her, even the one a few meters near her. Youko-sensei was next to her, clutching a bag of what they hoped was medicine.

Good. So the zombies did not react to the smell of humans, only sound. They did not seem to recognise their prey. The group crept forward, soundlessly, minds on high alert. The tension was high, their breathing shallow.

A loud bang on the other end of the car park turned everyone's heads towards it. Including the zombies. Collectively, the monsters started moving towards that sound. The humans took this chance to move towards their vehicles. As previously agreed, Natsuki and Shizuru hopped onto the younger woman's Ducati, and the rest separated into Reito's and Haruka's cars. Powerful engines. Their cars could speed up and out of school in seconds. But Midori-sensei's wasn't. Haruka moved towards Midori-sensei and whispered. The teacher nodded, took Youko-sensei's hand and quickly moved with Haruka into the blonde's Bugatti Veyron. Squeezing in, Haruka revved the engine and one after another they zipped out of school. The sounds of doors slamming had alerted the zombies to their presence but the slow movements of the zombies were no match for the powerful engines of Haruka's Bugatti, Reito's Saleen S7 and Natsuki's Ducati 1098S.

"By the way, Midori-sensei, we're heading to your house."

Midori could only blink at Haruka's statement before grinning. "Good enough. It'll just be like old days. Fighting monsters. I was thinking of the place underneath the school but then I remembered-"

"It was sealed up, Midori-sensei." Yukino continued.

"That's right. But I've got a surprise for you all. It's been stocked up."

Yukino raised her eyebrows at this information. "Did you know that this zombie situation might occur, Sensei?"

"I heard rumours that a village in northern Japan was infected. Through my grapevine of course, nothing in the news. And knowing our strain of luck, I prepared our place. Monsters seem to come to Fuuka, after all."

"I didn't know you both shared the house." Yukino could only sigh at Haruka's surprised comment. Sometimes, her best friend could be so oblivious. Yukino would know. Leaning into Haruka as the blonde continued speeding down the road, she breathed in the comforting scent, and closed her eyes. Ten minutes to Midori-sensei's place. Ten minutes to pretend all was well in the world.

Before they knew it, Midori-sensei's house appeared before them. She lived in a more isolated part of town, a bungalow fenced by tall trees and a high stone wall. They'd only been there once, a post-celebration party after the Carnival. When asked how she could afford such a place on a teacher's salary, she laughingly said, "Paid with money I found on my treasure hunt with the Professor. Jolly good times." The mood was joyous then, full of relief and victory. It was so different now.

Unlocking the gates, Midori-sensei waited for them to drive in before she secured the gate again. Gesturing to them, she instructed, "These gates need to be barricaded, just in case. We live in the outskirts, but once they run out of fresh prey in town, they'll search in more isolated areas."

The students hurriedly moved back to their vehicles that were now parked in the garage. No garage door, just a really wide space, a hundred meters or so from the gate. Looking around, they saw nothing that could be used. Midori-sensei, realised this, let out a particularly long and nasty curse.

Youko-sensei gestured towards Yukino. "There's some computer equipment in the house. I reckon we should use them to check the situation in Japan and worldwide, before the electricity gets cut off." Both of them moved inside, avoiding the troublesome problem of how to further secure the gate.

"We could use… our cars?" Suggested Reito. Haruka nearly fell over in shock. "What! Don't be rambunctious, Reito!"

"Ridiculous, not rambunctious, Haruka-san. Midori-sensei, do you have any… crates?" Shizuru decided to step in before harsher words were exchanged.

"Crates, yes. I bought quite a few crates of vodka a few months back, and some rum."

"CRATES?" Exclaimed Natsuki. "What would you do with CRATES of alcohol?"

"Don't be silly. Drink them of course. Parties, and such. Where do you think all the alcohol you drink at Hime-parties come from?" Midori-sensei tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled by Natsuki's remark.

"Well, are they very heavy? We can use them."

It was Midori-sensei's turn to look aghast. "Use them as barricades? They'll be des-destroyed!"

She gathered herself in time before the rest glared at her. "Of course. We'll need four people to carry each crate. Right this way."

They entered the house and moved towards the cellar, near the back of the house.

It was a huge cellar, a little too cold for comfort, but ideal for keeping wine and alcohol. Slowly, as the crates were heavy, they lifted them one by one and carried them to the gate. Shizuru and Natsuki stood by the gate, arranging the crates such that they would withstand greater pushing if the zombies did press up against the steel bars of the gate.

"She has a lot of alcohol, hey, Shizuru?"

"You're mentioning the obvious, Natsuki."

"I'm just saying! Anyway, I am glad… we made it here alive. And with the others too."

Shizuru moved closer to Natsuki. The biker did not have time to change into her leathers back at the school, they were still in her bag, slung carelessly across her. And yet, even in her sweaty school jacket and stressed out appearance, Natsuki appeared every inch the determined and strong woman she knew. Eyes bright and sharp, Natsuki frowned. "Shizuru, stop looking me up and down. Really, now's not the time."

"When's ever the right time, Natsuki? Right before we die, again?" The brunette moved closer, their bodies now touching each other. Shizuru's pale arms wrapped around the slightly shorter girl, who made no attempt to move away despite her previous sentence.

Mumbling, Natsuki blushed and murmured, "I didn't mean that."

"Yeah?" Shizuru teased, eyes glancing down at the soft, curved lips near her.

"Yeah." Natsuki closed her eyes, and kissed Shizuru, lips pressing firmly against the brunette's. Shizuru pressed back, and licked Natsuki's lower lip, about to go further when a loud grunt was heard near them. Leaning back, she groaned silently and peered at the disgruntled Haruka. Natsuki still had her eyes closed, head now buried in Shizuru's neck out of embarrassment at being caught kissing. They weren't even actually an official couple. Not yet, anyway. Shizuru hadn't asked, despite her never ending teasing, and Natsuki didn't want to hurry. She thought they had all the time in the world now, to figure out a relationship.. but it seemed like the world as they knew it had just ended.

"You both like to kiss when the world's crashing down, huh?" Mai chuckled as they lowered the crate towards the ground, next to the previously kissing couple. It was the first time the group saw Mai smile since Tate fell to the ground. Mikoto looked at Mai, and smiled.

Reito, seeing the small smiles on Mai's and his sister's faces, broke into a smile as well. Smiling was contagious, just like sadness. "All right. Arrange that crate, we'll be right back with another one. Midori-sensei hopes we'll be done before sundown. For obvious reasons."

"I sure as hell don't want to be outside the house when the sun sets. How many crates left?" Natsuki grumbled. The weather was heating up, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.

"50?" Mai made an approximate guess.

"50! What the hell! It's all good, the more the better, but who has, counting the ones already here… 60 crates of alcohol?"

"Uh. Midori-sensei does. And we have only a few hours before sundown, so we better hurry."

"Shizuru and I could help in carrying too. What's Midori doing anyway? She could help us."

"Busy. Important stuff, I hope. Let's get moving! And the crates are too heavy for two people, even if it's the two of you." Haruka urged her friends to begin another round.

Shizuru eyed Natsuki again. Strong, lean arms. Beautifully shaped legs, strong calves. Natsuki raised an eyebrow at Shizuru. "Shizuru! Eyes here, on my face. Not elsewhere on my body!"

"Sorry Natsuki. Would Natsuki feel it fairer if she did the same to me?"

"You always tease me when I accidentally do so." Natsuki blushed a fine red and instinctively let her eyes take in Shizuru. Expressive crimson eyes, a nose that perfectly matched her face, lips that tasted of all things wonderful, a neck like that only seen in Greek sculptures, breasts that were full and gave her body eye-catching curves-

"Natsuki?" Shizuru grinned at Natsuki, snapping the younger woman out of her silent activity.

"Ah! Y-yeah? What?" Natsuki tore herself away from look at Shizuru after realising what she was doing.

"Let's arrange the crate. How about right above the one in the middle?"

"Y-yeah. C'mon." Natsuki glanced shyly at Shizuru before helping her move the huge crate.

They did manage to move and arrange the crates to form a sufficient barricade before sundown. The group of tired students, a teacher and the school nurse celebrated by having the last bottle of rum, the one already opened on Midori-sensei's kitchen counter. And proceeded to make further plans and prepare themselves for the days to come.

Midori-sensei, it turned out, was checking out their supplies and barricading all the downstairs windows and the doors, apart from the main door of the house. She had five windows downstairs, and one back door. Youko was helping her nail the heavy wood and then blocking out the windows and doors with heavy black cloth. When asked later, she informed them that the heavy black cloth would block out light completely and mute sounds, so that no one from the outside would know there was anyone moving about inside. They had to move their cars and Natsuki's bike out of the garage into the small space behind the house. If they had to escape, they had a better chance of doing so from the back door, which was furthest from the front gate.

They were safe for now. Or as safe as they could possibly be. Yukino reported that most of Japan had been quickly overrun by zombies, and few public places seemed safe anymore. Google maps, updated automatically showed streets filled with zombies in the cities across the world. The small towns weren't that bad, the zombies were mainly in public places.

* * *

Note: The vehicles mentioned do exist in real life, you can google them if you like. Leave a review, I'ld like to know how you feel about the story so far! Some part of the next chapter will be the weapons they'll use. It's obvious for some characters since they've trained with certain weapons during their Hime days, but not for some. Like Youko, Mai, Nao... I'm looking forward to writing on that.


	3. A Clear Mind Shoots Well

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. When I finish the whole story I'll go back to edit those little things that some of you mentioned.

* * *

The electricity went out a few hours ago, an hour after sunset. Everything was plunged in darkness and Midori hurriedly fumbled for flashlights and candles in the cabinet behind her. Everyone heaved a breath of relief once a few candles lit up the living room. "We should all take a shower, get cleaned up before the water supply gets cut off. And then I'll show you what weapons and supplies I've managed to store up. We need to pack and be ready to fight our way out of Fuuka and into a safer place." Midori-sensei, worryingly, had drunk less than expected. Knowing their teacher was worried made the rest of the group feel less secure. She thought the power supplies wouldn't be cut off so soon- she was proven wrong. Hardly a day had passed and the entire town of Fuuka was in darkness.

Nao interrupted the teacher, "Are we going to move so soon? We've only just got here, and this place looks safe," stretching lazily on the couch as she said it, trying to hide her anxiety.

"If you're too afraid to get out into the open, just say so, Nao." A flash of emeralds accompanied the scornful voice. The words fell out of her tired mouth before she even processed it. Nao glanced at her angrily, before looking away, frowning. _She must be deathly worried for her not to respond. _Natsuki felt a jibe of shame. She shouldn't have said that. Everyone was tired and wanting to be able to settle down… Nao was just being herself, unafraid to say what was on everyone's minds. Natsuki would have done the same if Nao hadn't said anything.

"Is there anywhere anyone can suggest?" Mai broke the silence, with the overly cheerful question.

Natsuki moved closer to Nao, hands in her pockets, trying not to look as concerned as she really felt. "Nao, are you worried about your mother? Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's alright. I'm not worried about my mother. She's in the hospital, and that's the last place I will go. When she woke up, after the Carnival, she- she told me to never place myself in danger for her again… because it would break her heart." Nao said everything quickly, gruffly, in attempt to hide her emotion. "No need to get your generous heart torn up over me, Kuga." Even though her words were tough and cutting, Nao knew no one in the room bought it. They all knew she was worried, and a part of her felt glad that they were worried about her. After a few seconds of silence, she muttered, "Thanks, everybody. Don't we have to get cleaned up?"

Yukino's shy voice interrupted her. "After showering, we should fill the bathtub with water, and any pails we have. The posts in the online forum I visited earlier seem to indicate that the water supplies will be cut off a few hours after the electricity lines fail." Youko stood up, hands holding a large medical kit, a white metal box with a red cross on it. She was fiddling with it before, checking its contents. "Who's first? The rest can wait upstairs, we have 2 guest rooms where some of us can wait in while some shower."

They trudged upstairs quietly, and Nao decided to take the first shower. The red-haired girl stripped quickly in the bedroom, ignoring the affronted gasps of Haruka. She couldn't be bothered about accusations of indecent exposure. Not now. _I need a damn hot shower. Just when I thought everything was all right again, with Mom recovering, we're faced with of all damned things… zombies._

**Guest Room**

In the first guest room, Shizuru and Natsuki sat on the bed quietly, facing Mai and Mikoto who were on the floor, Mikoto resting herself on Mai's body. Natsuki grinned. _Introducing Mai: Mikoto's Personal Pillow. _She got up, walking into the balcony of the room. The entire city of Fuuka was enveloped in darkness. Stars shone in great number in the sky, taking the midnight blue-haired girl's breath away. Somehow, even though she knew the world was now drowning in chaos, at that very moment, looking at the star-strewn sky… she felt at peace.

"I have never seen so many stars in the sky before… It's so beautiful, Natsuki." Arms wrapped around Natsuki, who was blushing despite them having shared a greater intimacy earlier. _Kissing. It was just kissing. Kissing! Okay, I need to stop thinking about those kisses NOW. NOW, Natsuki. _Shizuru moved closer, unsurely, but when Natsuki made no move to escape her arms, she rested her chin on the other girl's shoulders, smiling. A groan escaped Natsuki's lips. Clearly, her self-administered pep-talk was not working. Shizuru's closeness made her feel like turning around and kissing the daylights out of that infuriating brunette who seemed to enter her personal space like no one ever dared to. Kissing that infuriating grin off her. Kissing those well-formed lips. Kissing that enticing- WHAT? _Bad, bad thoughts, please… stay away. Think about Nao and.. Nao and Mikoto kissing. Think Sakomizu and Midori-sensei. Think-_

"Natsuki, what are you thinking about?" Shizuru's voice held a note of concern, in response to Natsuki's silence ever since they came up to the balcony away from the others.

"Noth-nothing." Her hands reached up, clasping Shizuru's in hers. "Only that there's a whole universe out there, and that we're stuck in this shithole full of zombies."

A quick excuse. _I hope Shizuru buys it._

"Ara… and here I was having romantic thoughts about Natsuki… and Natsuki was thinking about a 'shithole' full of zombies." Shizuru's muffled laugh, buried in Natsuki's shoulders made Natsuki's insides warm, despite her tease.

"I was also thinking about this, Shizuru." Turning around swiftly, Natsuki kissed Shizuru on her lips, suprising the brunette with her open display of affection. As quickly as she had kissed, Natsuki pulled back, grinning. "Time for my shower." _I like it sometimes when the tables are turned._

Mai looked on in amusement as a still-surprised Shizuru stood in the balcony, fingers unconsciously touching her lips in amazement, her eyes slightly glazed. Shaking herself out of it, Shizuru walked back into the room, and caught Mai's eye. "Perhaps Natsuki has learned a thing or two about teasing."

"You don't seem to mind, Shizuru-san." Mai's cheeky reply to Shizuru's announcement.

Shizuru threw herself backwards on the bed, stretching her tired body. No, she didn't mind the slightest bit.

**Clean and Ready**

Everyone finished showering, everyone was back in their school clothes. "Damn, I need clean underwear." Natsuki mumbled.

"We could wash all our clothes, since we might not get a chance to do that after the water supply gets cut off." Youko-sensei suggested, in a kind voice. Mai understood the nurse's kind intentions but realised it just wouldn't do. "Ah….. Youko-sensei, what will we wear in the meantime?"

A young voice chirped an answer. "We can be naked for a while, Mai!" The orange-headed girl immediately retorted, "Definitely NOT, Mikoto!"

"We can wear our PE uniforms if we have them. Some of us had gym class today, correct? And I'm sure Midori or Youko-sensei have clothes to lend you girls, too. Or, if anyone prefers, they can wait naked… I promise to blindfold myself if that's the case." Reito's voice, laced with faux charm, broke into the conversation. He winked at Mai, who frowned back at him.

Despite Reito's tease, everyone agreed that it was best to wash the clothes AND underwear they wear currently wearing, just so that they would have fresh clothes tomorrow. "Okay, girls! And guy. Pass your clothes to me, and after everyone's changed we'll need to go to the cellar. I stored everything there." Midori looked around, beaming.

**Equipping**

"Shizuru, pass that flashlight to me." A hushed whisper in the cold cellar, where the brave group were standing in. It was a large, stone-walled room, and the floor was smooth, polished concrete. There, in the room, was an assortment of equipment. They slowly and carefully carried them all upstairs into one of the bedrooms. Now they sat in a circle again, breathing slightly heavily from the exertion. Mai was the first to stand up. "Mikoto and I will be the first watch. We'll keep an eye on the main gate and make sure there aren't any zombies attempting to reach us." Mai took the telescope they'd brought up and carried it to the balcony, Mikoto following her loyally. Natsuki nodded, and closed the heavy curtains behind them to prevent the lights being seen from outside.

"Youko and I took the liberties to prepare some supplies, in case we found ourselves in danger and had to run. We were worried that the Searrs or First District's compatriots or whatever else would come after us and anyone else who were involved in the Carnival." Shizuru smiled at the couple, "Thank you, Midori-sensei, Youko-sensei. These will come in handy." She divided the packets of water-purification tablets for the ten of them. "Who will carry the water-purification pump, should we be on the run?"

"The one with the most stamina. So, I will." Reito reached out and took the pump. "It's not as heavy as expected, this model was a good choice."

Soon, Shizuru sorted out the items every one of them would have- windproof and waterproof matches, aluminium water bottles, bedrolls, swiss army knives, lightweight binoculars and cleaning kits. There wasn't enough mini first-aid kits to go around, so Shizuru gave one to each probable pair. In her mind, she figured out who was likely to pair themselves up with who, and congratulated herself when her guesses were right. Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out. Yukino, Midori, Reito, Nao and herself ended up with the first-aid kits. "Took you long enough, Bubuzuke. What's next, Sensei?" Haruka smiled as she said this, and Shizuru lifted her teacup to sip more of the green tea Reito made for them.

"We will be taking along the telescope, since it's light enough, and Youko will hold on to the medical kit. Now, here, I have some weapons, you all may choose from them. Choose something you know you can handle. By the way, who here can read maps well?" No one put up their hands. "Maaa….. didn't anyone score well in cartography? You know, Geography classes? What's Tomiko-sensei going to say? She'll be so disappointed.." Nao raised her hand, hurriedly. "Okay, Midori-sensei. I can, okay?" Everyone else sighed in relief.

"I knew my Hime-sentai can do it! We are a force to be reckoned with! Yeah! Here you go, a compass, and a map of Japan." Nao rolled her eyes at the Hime-sentai quip, and carefully tucked the items into her backpack. "I've trained in archery, so I guess I'll be taking this set of bow and arrows. These are pretty good arrows, sensei. Gold-tip hunters… nice. Expensive, so I'll try not to lose them."

Each one now had their own flashlight in hand, as they looked at what weapons Midori-sensei managed to collect. "Ah! Only three buns? There are ten of us, Yukino! How are we going to fend for ourselves?" Haruka said in a loud whisper. "Um, Haruka-san. It takes practice to fire a gun properly, so I think it doesn't matter… Not everyone will use one." Yukino patted Haruka's shoulder, and congratulated herself because she didn't correct Haruka automatically this time. "I can learn how to shoot with a bun easily, Yukino!" Retorted Haruka.

"Ara, Haruka-san. I have no doubt of your ability to hit someone with a bun, but guns are a different matter. But perhaps Natsuki could help you with that." Shizuru's eyes danced in merriment. Natsuki only nodded in response. She gave a satisfied grunt when she noticed each gun had enough rounds to last them longer than one gunfight. "I know it's difficult to get guns and ammunition here in Fuuka, especially if you're a school teacher by occupation, Midori-sensei. So… thank you." Her eyes flicked eagerly from the Colt ACP, to the M110 SASS and lastly to the Sig-Sauer P226. She whistled in appreciation. A civilian-friendly pistol, a semi-automatic sniper system and a military-issued pistol respectively.

"You can have the Colt ACP, Lion-hair. It's easy enough for untrained civilians to use and care for. Eighty rounds, which means you can only reload this handgun ten times before all the bullets are gone. So don't shoot it like you use your mouth." Blunt and to the point. "Thank you, Kuga." Haruka got up and took the handgun Natsuki referred to. Both Yukino and Shizuru bit back grins at Haruka's uncharacteristic civility towards Natsuki. The shooting expert turned to face everyone else again, hands tucked in the borrowed jeans from Midori-sensei. "Does anyone else want to train with a gun? There's the sniper and the pistol left."

"Gods, Natsuki, I can't differentiate pistols from whatever to whatever. Just take them and train Haruka up. I'll take this katana too, just in case my arrows don't kill the zombies quick enough. Although I doubt they'll better than my twin claws. Don't you miss them, Natsuki?" Nao smirked, remembering the time when she had Natsuki tied up and her claws out. "Hardly. Fine, I'll take the two." Natsuki took the P226 pistol and reached for Haruka's Colt ACP, fixing the silencers to both of them. Haruka, bursting with curiousity, shifted closer. "Delinquent, what's that you're doing to the guns?"

"Attaching the silencers. The zombies react to sound, so it's best to make sure we manage to suppress the firing sounds the best we can. Here's how." Natsuki efficiently fixed on the accessories and loaded all their guns. Haruka nodded, trying to follow along. "Show me once more. And how do you load the gun?" After 3 tries, Haruka got the hang of loading the handgun. "You pick things up quicker than I expected, Lion-head." Haruka smiled at Natsuki's thinly-veiled praise. _Zombies are going to fear me and my shooting power!_

Shizuru looked at the other weapons, and noticing what exactly each was, grinned and clasped her hands together in delight. "Ara, this is wonderful! How did you manage to get these? This naginata, it is of the finest quality." Her hands reached out, caressing the long pole of the weapon gently. Natsuki wondered for a moment whether Shizuru had a secret fetish for her naginata, not knowing that she herself was tracing her newly acquired pistol's barrel. Shizuru finally grasped the naginata and walked back to seat beside Natsuki, this time her right hand was surreptitiously caressing Natsuki's knee instead of her naginata. Natsuki changed her mind about Shizuru's interests in that instant. _Well, good to know my knee is more attractive than her naginata. _Natsuki snorted in amusement and almost let out a giggle when she noticed Shizuru looking curiously at her. Their short exchange of looks was interrupted and Natsuki quickly turned her eyes to the speaker.

"It took time, and a lot of string-pulling, but I've gotten weapons as similar to our old Elements as possible. The old Professor was a great help too, he knew the people who could supply such things. Like this Labrys, it was so hard to obtain a double-headed axe in Japan, but his friend knew a blacksmith who could produce one." Midori stood up quickly, grasping her weapon with pride. Youko stood behind her, frowning slightly. "Midori, careful!" Midori had almost hit Reito with the end of her Labrys while swinging it. "Ah, sorry. Reito, I didn't prepare a weapon for you, since, well, you weren't part of the Hime Sentai, but you may choose from the remaining weapons."

"Then I will take this shin-gunto. My father had a similar one, and I have practiced with this type of sword before. It seems to be of the same make, as you can see, the scabbard is of metal and decorated with cherry blossoms, and the hilt still wrapped in silk."

"Your family served in the Imperial Japanese Army?" Even though it was Haruka who asked this question, everyone moved closer to hear Reito's answer.

"Yes, they did." Everyone turned around, surprised that Mikoto had joined them. And Mai too.

The busty girl sat down beside Reito. "Ah, Natsuki and Shizuru came to replace us as sentries. And, it's nearly time for supper, so if anyone wants some ramen, I can cook some after this."

Mikoto continued her explanation. "Grandfather taught us how to fight, yep, he did. Ani-ue is really good with it too. Can Mikoto have the nodachi? Mikoto's good at it, wanna see?" Mikoto pointed to the long, oversized Japanese sword.

"Eh- heh. We trust your word Mikoto. Here, take it. And I will take this… round shield." Mai reached out for both items. She held the shield up, inspecting it. "Mai-san, are you sure?" Reito leaned forward, looking at the round wooden shield, enforced with steel on its sides and having a large round knob in its middle. Mai nodded. "The solid steel knob in the middle will be useful in bashing the zombies and the body of the shield looks strong enough to withstand attack. It is similar to my defensive Elements from before, Reito-san." It was the first time after Tate's death that Mai smiled at Reito genuinely. Reito nodded, and had a look at Mikoto's sword. "That's a good sword, Mikoto. We can start training again, just like the old days, if you want."

"HEY! What is Yukino going to have? There aren't any more weapons! Nao, give up your katana! You already have the bow and arrows!" An angry whisper, again by Haruka.

"Haruka-chan, it's okay. I'll take care of the telescope. Besides, you will be here to protect me, won't you?"

"Eh- but, Yukino!"

Yukino's eyes pleaded with Haruka not to make a fuss. Everyone was tired and she didn't want a fight to break out. Haruka finally relented.

"All right Yukino. You know I'll always protect you. Always." Haruka ended the discussion by standing beside Yukino, in a bodyguard stance she'd seen in movies- arms crossed, frown in place.

"Whoa, Lion-head. That's the first time I've seen you so gentle. Yukino-san's a regular lion-tamer, hey? Anyway-" Natsuki hurriedly continued after noticing Haruka ready to burst out at her. "Anyway, could you take over Shizuru and I? We've been out there for quite some time."

Yukino quickly took Haruka's hand and led her out onto the balcony overlooking the main gate. Shizuru smirked at that sight. _She is so whipped._ Before she realised that Natsuki was holding her arm, and getting her to hold on to their now-equipped backpacks as the younger girl conversed with Mai. _Ara, I should not be laughing at other people. _The brunette put the bags on the ground and listened in to the conversation Midori, Mai and Natsuki were having. Her _dear, darling, beloved- AHEM! _… clearing her thoughts, she tried again to focus. Her Natsuki was speaking in clear, confident tones. "Right. We'll divide into three groups. And rotate every three hours. A pair will keep watch, a pair will do whatever chores that needs doing, like cooking or cleaning, and the other pairs can sleep or rest. That way we'll get sufficient rest and still get things done."

"Good thinking, Natsuki. Your obsession with those war games on the PS3 might not have been such a waste of time after all." Mai grinned, arms slung around Natsuki. "First-person shooter, Mai. And I do practice in the real shooting range as well so don't make it as if all I do is…" Midori shook her head at her Hime Sentais. Raising her voice slightly she waved her arms, catching everyone's attention. "Hey, everybody, did you hear Natsuki? We'll start this rotation now. So Haruka and Yukino will be on guard for the next three hours- Reito, can you let them know? Mai and Nao will be cooking, and the rest of us may rest for now."

Midori-sensei's had clearly been pretending to be a fluff-headed teacher. Well, she did have admirable leadership skills during the fight with Searrs, so they really shouldn't be so surprised. Midori huffed when she saw their surprised faces. Youko patted her on her back, consoling her.

**- Later that Night -**

Later that night, full with ramen, Shizuru asked Natsuki, "Natsuki? Why didn't Mikoto and Mai pair up instead?" She was puzzled with the current arrangement and wondered if Reito was suddenly wanting to be big brother to Mikoto instead of potential lover to Mai. "Kanzaki and Mikoto decided to pair up so they can train with each other. Besides, Nao could do with some cooking lessons from Mai. In fact, Nao could do with many lessons from Mai."

"I could do with some lessons from Na-tsu-ki." Shizuru leaned closer towards Natsuki and tumbled both of them down onto the bed they were sitting on, Shizuru half lying atop Natsuki.

"Shizuru! Now's really not the time!" Natsuki sounded slightly exasperated.

"Always with the same excuse, Na-tsu-ki." A finger trailed down Natsuki's soft cheek. No movement was made to remove it, and the finger trailed down from the cheek to the jaw, to the neck before it was seized by the younger girl.

"Shizuru, what are we?" Natsuki peered up at Shizuru, emerald eyes heavily lidded. Shizuru murmured softly into her ear. "We are whatever Natsuki wishes us to be. I ask for nothing more."

"Nothing more? And if I want to give everything? What will you do?"

"Natsuki, please don't toy with my feelings." The brunette looked away, hiding her face from Natsuki. Natsuki refused to let Shizuru hide her face. Not now. They'd put it off long enough. "I'm not toying with your feelings, Shizuru. Look at me." She brought their clasped hands up, and turned Shizuru's face towards her. "Look at me. Do I look like I would toy with you? I'ld never do that, Shizuru." Shizuru gazed at Natsuki sharply, as though trying to ascertain Natsuki's truthfulness. "Forgive me, Natsuki. It's hard to believe that one can so easily offer everything to someone others think is a crazy murderer."

"No one says you're a crazy murderer, Shizuru! That's- the Obsidian Lord, the Carnival- leave the past behind, Shizuru. The world's changed. We all did, after the Carnival. Shizuru, I… Will you not accept my feelings?" Natsuki stroked Shizuru hair, running them in between her fingers. Shizuru lay beside Natsuki, gazing at her, silently. Her crimson eyes, softened with love she dared not speak much of with the person she loved most.

"The others have forgiven you, Shizuru. Or do you not trust me knowing my own feelings?"

A minute or so of silence, too long in Natsuki's mind. "Natsuki… of course I trust you." Shizuru finally answered. "And perhaps it is real that the others have forgiven me. But maybe the rush of today's events, and with Tate's death… everyone feels like they could perish the next time we face the zombies again. It's not that I doubt Natsuki's honesty… but maybe you're rushing into feeling something like th-"

"You think it's because I'm scared of dying, that's why I'm telling you that I l-lo-love you? Because what, I'm afraid of dying alone?" Shizuru buried her face in the crook of Natsuki's neck, ashamed as she heard Natsuki's voice breaking.

"We died once, Shizuru. To-together, remember? At that time, I was not completely certain of my feelings for you, and I was honest with that. Why would I lie now? Shizuru, my feelings are real, and they're not going to go away. They're not because of today's events… I have been meaning to tell you this for some time, I just never quite found the right moment."

"Again with that excuse, Natsuki. Never the right moment, never the right time." Shizuru finally looked up and held Natsuki close and she hugged her. "You're lucky I'm one patient woman." The brunette continued, her accent getting stronger as she got more emotional. "You really mean what you're saying? That you love me?"

"Damn right I am. Look, we'll talk some other time." Natsuki sighed in defeat, getting up and turning to leave the room. She needed to go somewhere apart for a bit. She never thought Shizuru would react this way. She'd been so certain it was a matter of waiting for the right moment, and then telling Shizuru how she felt, and then they would have some sappy ending. Not this. Not Shizuru rejecting her confession, not Shizuru feeling like she couldn't trust Natsuki's feelings.

"Natsuki! Come back here! You don't just run away after saying such things. Ikezu, Natsuki!" Shizuru reached out for Natsuki and tugged her down onto the bed again. Natsuki noticed the change in Shizuru's voice. She sounded full of joy and was her usual confident self, almost playful. _Oh. She finally gets it._ The slightly shorter girl smiled and quirked an eyebrow at the brunette. "So…" Natsuki paused, not knowing what to say.

"I love Natsuki, too. I always have. You know that. And I trust Natsuki with everything. If you say that you love me, then you do."

"Damn right I do." Natsuki bit her lower lip, and snuggled into the warmth of Shizuru's embrace.

"So what does Natsuki want us to be?" Shizuru held Natsuki closer, heart beating rapidly, half afraid, half eager for Natsuki's answer. The wish of hers, for so long now… it scared her that it wouldn't come true, because she had waited for so long and she couldn't quite grasp it yet, Natsuki loving her, Natsuki sharing the same _feelings _she did.

"Are you seriously asking me this?" Natsuki sounded affronted.

"I.. I don't want to make presumptions, Natsuki. Please, will you tell me, so that I hear it from you, in words? So that I know I'm not imagining things, drawing more meaning than there might be from Natsuki's actions?"

"I want us to be together Shizuru. Not as ambiguous more-than-friends, but.. together. As in, you know. Lovers. Er, in a relationship? Yes, exactly that." By the end of that sentence, Natsuki's face was in full blush. Shizuru could feel her own cheeks heat up. She kissed Natsuki. A quick kiss on the lips, and a very happy "Yes, of course, Natsuki. You just had to ask. Now come here… we should have our first kiss as a couple!" Natsuki felt Shizuru's fingers gliding up underneath her shirt, slowly, teasingly. A foot rubbing at her ankle, circling it and moving upwards. Natsuki lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure all you want to do is kiss?"

Shizuru grinned, obviously in a very joyous mood. And a joyous Shizuru meant a Shizuru full of teasing. Natsuki tried to feel like she minded, but she realised… she didn't. Not at all. She loved all sides of Shizuru, even if this side was the devilish, teasing crimson-eyed seductress. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted by the loud-mouthed lion-head.

"Bubuzuke! What is this! No shenanigans now! It's your turn to keep watch. Yukino and I are going to have our supper."

"Ara…." Shizuru stretched her word, she really didn't want to move from this position. "You got 'shenanigans' right, Haruka-san. Your vocabulary is improving, perhaps looking through the telescope has worked some magic." Her sarcasm was in full-blow, annoyed at Haruka's interruption.

"Come on, Shizuru. Let's go keep watch. Yukino and Haruka must be hungry by now. " Natsuki untangled herself from Shizuru and handed Shizuru her naginata and her backpack, before picking up her own.

Setting up themselves comfortably on the balcony, Natsuki placed herself in front of the telescope, her M110 sniper gun out and ready to snipe any approaching zombie. Shizuru took out her binoculars and settled herself next to Natsuki. Another three hours, and then they could rest. The cloud crept over the moon, and they were in complete darkness. Pressing up into each other, Shizuru could hear Natsuki's steady breathing.

"Natsuki?" She whispered softly.

"Hmm?"

"I am glad we're here together. That we're not out there somewhere looking for each other."

"Me too, Shizuru."

"Do you think Chie-san and Aoi-san are okay? The last time I saw them was at the picnic after school a last week."

"I don't know, Shizuru. I hope we find them soon. Or that they've found a safe place to be in."

The clouds parted, and the moon appeared again, shining it's pale light on the grounds before them. Natsuki froze as she spotted a distinct, shuffling movement near the gates. She peered through the telescope, and motioned to Shizuru, who'd also noticed the creature near the gate. "Alert the others. But make sure no one panics. It could just be a stray zombie from the horde. I'll keep watch on it and shoot if I have to."

Shizuru nodded, and seizing her naginata, moved to alert the others. She came back, moments later. Whispering in her softest voice possible into Natsuki's ear, she updated Natsuki, "The others are awake and ready for movement. But our instruction is to keep watch. If it's just a few zombies you are to snipe them dead. If it's more than five, then Midori reckons it's time to get the hell out of Fuuka."

Natsuki, not lifting her eyes from the telescope muttered urgently to her lover. "There's two now. Should I start sniping?"

"Can you be sure of hitting and killing them in one shot? We don't want them to start moaning if they're hit but not dead."

"Have faith, my hime. Headshots, correct? I've watched enough horror movies with you to catch on." Natsuki replied and shot the two zombies, in quick succession, successfully killing them. "Ara, and Natsuki used to complain that I only wanted to watch them so that we could cling together tightly." Natsuki glanced at Shizuru, smirking. "Yeah, I'm sure you knew I had to learn how to kill zombies."

They stayed on high alert for the next two hours, but no more zombies came. Reito and Mikoto came into the balcony to take over guard duty and updated them. "Midori-sensei's frantically looking at the map now with Nao-san, trying to find a safe destination for us. She thought we had at least a week in this house, but now she reckons we have another day, if we're lucky. So have a good night's rest because we're on the move tomorrow." Reito calmed took his seat in front of the telescope. "If any more zombies appear, we'll wake Nao-chan to shoot them down, so don't worry. You can rest." Reito, in a fit of randomness, saluted Natsuki.

They were sharing the bed with Haruka and Yukino as well, so Natsuki made sure Shizuru was next to Haruka instead of herself. They might now be some sort of friends, but Natsuki really didn't want to wake up next to Haruka. Shizuru pouted for a bit, but Natsuki's pleading face won her the place at the edge of the bed, spooned up with Shizuru shielding her from Haruka's random kickings in the night. No more zombies got near the house that night, and it was nearly 10am when Natsuki and Shizuru were woken up for their turn in Duties.

"Ara, we're cooking? Are you all sure about this? We're happy to be on watch again…"

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_**Author's Note: **End of Chapter 3!_ Do you like where this is going? Any reactions to the weapons they're having? Think they'll be stupid to leave the house so soon? Anyway, please leave a review, thanks!


	4. Escape

**Escape!**

* * *

A steady chatter over what may be their last lunch in the safehouse. If one was looking in, it would seem like an everyday gathering of high school students over lunch. There was laughter and an easy camaderie among these people.

Eavesdropping on their various mini-conversations one would realise that the group had various hidden dynamics among its members. For example, an orange head girl would be nodding her head confidently while saying, "Takumi's with Akira, he'll be safe."

Another girl, a blond wearing a green school jacket was be heard saying (for her voice was rather loud), "When I looked at you then, Fujino… your eyes had gone sort of crazy, y'know? And when you pointed your naginata at Yukino… I don't want to bring this up again. Just… don't point your naginata at Yukino ever again. It's not funny."

"… I'm sorry, Haruka-san. I was overcome with my emotions then." At that, the whole table went silent, and the friends (if not friends, then at least comrades) attempted to pretend that they were not listening in on the conversation of Shizuru and Haruka. Natsuki herself filled her mouth with a spoonful of soup in attempt to avoid being drawn into the conversation. Well, they did have to talk about what happened during the Hime battles and the Carnival, but now? Over lunch? During a zombie apocalypse? Really? Natsuki sighed and slurped down more ramen noodles. _Mmm, Mai's ramen does take your mind off things._

Haruka snorted at Shizuru's soft and composed reply. She gripped Shizuru's arm as she leaned across the table, staring at Shizuru angrily. "You were in love with her then, you're in love with her now. What's the difference, Fujino? What's going to stop you from sacrificing the rest of us to save her this time round?" At that, the student president only shrugged, and smiled apologetically, not even tugging her arm away from Haruka's strong grip. Not getting the reaction she wanted, Haruka got up angrily and left the room, shouldering her and Yukino's backpacks. She soon came back, standing in front of the doorway. "I'm going to ready the car for us to leave as soon as lunch is over. Where are we going?"

Nao spoke up lazily. "We're heading for the coast, avoiding the highways when we can."

Yukino interrupted, frowning at Nao's announcement. "Won't it be faster just taking the highway?"

"Not if you want to be fresh zombie chomp-chomps, dear Yukino-san. Now, shall we?" The red head stood up, and slowly reach for her new weapons and backpack. Reito will take Midori's old bike, it's in quite a good condition. Then we'll have more space in the cars for our backpacks and weapons. We'll head for Mizuno Port, if that's all right with you, Haruka-san. The sooner we leave this forsaken zombie-filled island, the better for us."

Everyone knew about Mizuno Port. It belonged to Haruka's family, and it was more of a jetty than a port. But because the Suzushiro Corporation had some smaller ships come in through that jetty, it was named a port. Hidden along the quiet river that led out into the Pacific Ocean, the Himes and their close friends had taken a boat trip from there before to one of the nearby islands. Haruka nodded quickly, and said eagerly, "That's a good idea. My family has some boats that we can use to travel out into the ocean. Let's go! Yukino, come with me!"

Everyone jumped up, even though it was really just Yukino who Haruka asked for. One by one, they piled their backpacks and weapons into the cars. Reito only smiled when Shizuru asked him with a quizzical smile, "When did Reito-san ever learnt to ride a bike?" The tall man only shrugged and slung his sword and backpack on his back. "I had much free time as the Student Council Vice-President, Shizuru-san." Shizuru raised an eyebrow at him, then turning to Natsuki as the latter got their backpacks and weapons to the Ducati. She noticed that although Natsuki's bike was bigger, it would still be difficult to hold both their backpacks, their persons and their weapons. She nudged Natsuki gently on the girl's shoulder. "And how does Natsuki possibly think we will be able to fit everything AND us onto Natsuki's lovely bike?" Biting her lips, the brunette had one finger on her chin, and the other hand pulling Natsuki's elbow.

"I trust being on my bike more than stuck in the car, Shizuru. We'll manage, just… hold on to my sniper gun and your naginata…" Natsuki handed the weapons to Shizuru as she got on the bike. "I know you're strong enough to carry them, Shizuru. Besides, on Duran we'll get to the port in no time."

Shizuru giggled. "Ara, Duran? If you have Duran then maybe I shall ride on my Kiyohime, Natsuki."

Her lover only pouted. "Maa, Shizuru. Come on, get up on the bike, already. If we had our Childs we wouldn't need vehicles, we'll just ride them to the remotest and zombit-freest island around and wait out this bloody disaster." She shook her head, her hair whipping around her face before settling neatly, framing her attractive face. Shizuru was caught in the moment, too entranced by Natsuki's shampoo-commercial worthy action to move. "Shizuru!" Natsuki yanked Shizuru closer to herself, and patted the seat behind her. "Bike, now. The others are waiting!" The blue-haired girl gently placed a dark purple helmet onto the dazed one, buckling it and making sure it was secure before putting her own helmet on. Shizuru snapped out of her daze once Natsuki's face was hidden by the dark visor of the helmet, and the brunette gracefully climbed onto the Ducati and wrapped her arms around Natsuki. Natsuki's backpack prevented her from hugging Natsuki's body as she usually did, but she had trouble enough with a naginata AND a sniper rifle slung on each of her shoulders._ Bloody bike. Natsuki should just fix some compartment so we can at least put the backpacks in. _"Natsuki, perhaps…" but her voice fell silent when she realised what was ahead. A dark mass of creatures, most likely zombies lurking around their exit. They were just shuffling around, but their great numbers made it impossible for everyone to get out safely.

Natsuki groaned. She noticed them too. "Shizuru, hold on tight. Like, really tight."

Realising the seriousness of the situation, Shizuru tightened her arms around Natsuki as best she could with the backpack in the way. The biker rode her bike, and stopped at a distance from the gate, bike engine still at a low hum. Shizuru looked on, wondering what Natsuki had in mind. Those crates took ages to move, and now were actually blocking their exit. But their barrier was also protecting them. Shizuru could see the the zombies' weight pressing on the gates had loosened them from the walls. Any moment now the gates could fall, being propped up only by the heavy crates.

Natsuki drew her pistol, firing shots at the crates of alcohol barring the gates. One, two, three shots were fired, before Natsuki hid her pistol back in the folds of her jacket.

The crates of alcohol caught fire, and within seconds, a huge blaze started. Zombies who were clinging onto the gates were now on fire, and flailing around, spreading the fire onto the horde surrounding the gate. The wooden crates crumbled in the blaze, and the metal gates fell with a clang onto the road. Their exit was now cleared and they could ride out easily.

"Brillant, Natsuki." Shizuru couldn't help but stroke Natsuki's abdomen with her fingers as she praised her. With a grunt, Natsuki shot out of the gate at the fastest speed her bike could reach, the cars following behind her closely. The bullet shots would have alerted nearby zombies and despite clearing the initial horde more would definitely come.

Midori rolled down her window, giving Natsuki a thumbs up. The teacher laughed and yelled, "This is no time for jokes!" For a brief second everyone in her car looked at her strangely, and Natsuki, who did hear what she said was just going to ignore the teacher, when she remembered.

Natsuki remembered what she had said in the Carnival battle in response to exactly what Midori-sensei had shouted back then. She did feel a little silly, and hoped Midori-sensei didn't expect her to respond in a similar manner now. At Midori's honk she grumbled, and drew close on her bike to Midori's open window, saying "Hime Sentai, engage!" in the blandest way possible.

"Natsuki-chan's no fun! Well, I'm sure there'll be lots of times in the future that we'll get to practice this routine!" Midori winked, and rolled up her window. At that, Natsuki rolled her eyes and sped ahead.

There were zombies on the roads, but the vehicles travelled quick enough that the zombies could not react in time to their approach and departures.

They crossed into another prefecture, taking small roads whenever they could. The numbers of zombies they passed were growing smaller in number. Natsuki figured they were attracted to the cities where there were more people, and consequently, more fresh meat. Perhaps Nao had a brain in her when she suggested them travelling in the country, avoiding the roads most people would take in fleeing the cities.

She could hardly wait til they reached some place to rest. Surely Shizuru was getting tired, riding pillion with so many things. As if the brunette knew her thoughts, Natsuki felt Shizuru's arms tighten around her reassuringly. _As long as you're okay Shizuru, I'll be okay._

Suddenly the biker stopped. _Damn, perhaps Nao was wrong._ Ahead of her, down the hill, across the river were a mass of zombies. They were heading in their direction. Reito, who was behind Natsuki caught up and realised the problem. He gripped his bike handles tightly, and turned around, signalling to the cars to turn off their engines. None of them needed the zombies to realise that there was fresh meat awaiting them nearby. His whisper carried in the silence around them, requesting them to find a solution to their problem. Too many zombies across the river from where the wooden bridge was. Too many to destroy, and they didn't know if there were more ahead. His friends in the cars rolled down their windows to decide what they'd do next. No one spoke up, they were at loss.

Natsuki finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Shizuru, you'll go with Reito. I'll- I'll circle the mass of zombies, firing shots, distracting them so that they'll pursue me while the rest of you hurry on to Mizuno Port." She made to remove Shizuru's arms from her waist.

Shizuru shook her head determinedly and clung on tighter. "I'm definitely not leaving you, Natsuki. Never, never... you know I will give up my life to be with you."

Natsuki was about to deny Shizuru her request, but Reito raised his hand, stopping her. In a voice that brooked no opposition, he stated, "I'll go. Mikoto, come with me. You'll attack any zombies that get too near with your sword, and I'll distract the zombies. The both of us will catch up with everybody at Mizuno Port. But if we do not arrive by tomorrow, sundown, then.."

"You will arrive by then. And you will bring Mikoto safely with you as well. Reito... we cannot lose anyone else. So be careful." Mai got out of the car, Mikoto following her, sword already unsheathed. Natsuki looked on as Mai hugged Mikoto tightly, before turning to Reito, and smiling slightly at him. The boy grinned back, promising her in his charming voice that he definitely would ensure Mikoto's safety. With that the siblings left, riding across the bridge shouting and attracting the zombies attention. Natsuki and the rest followed them across the bridge, and continued their speedy journey towards the port.

Inwardly, Natsuki was relieved that she did not have to leave Shizuru. But Reito wasn't as good a biker as she was, and she wondered if he and Mikoto would make it out alive.

* * *

Author's Note: It's a shorter chapter this time. Mostly because I don't know if I should kill off any more characters! You know, Reito will either be next to go, or no one dies at all anytime soon. Makes me sad whenever I think of the improbability of them ALL surviving. Anyway, thanks for reading, please review!


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